Steve Hackett — Seconds Out, Oxford 2021

I caught the delayed Steve Hackett Seconds Out tour in Oxford. Short review: brilliant. Long review... It was the first gig I'd attended since the pandemic, so a strange experience, but worth it. The show had a short section of Steve's own music (starting with Clocks) and airing a couple of new tracks. It's fair...

Skydeck — the 1960s version of the i360 that never was

Brighton, British Airways i360 Tower If you go to Brighton (and why wouldn't you), and wander along the beach to around where the West Pier used to be, you'll come across the unmissable British Airways i360. It's (I read) the tallest moving observation tower in the world. It opened in 2016, but in another history,...

Sequential Take 5 — early thoughts

Take 5 Within days of the announcement I reserved a Sequential Take 5, and have had it a few weeks now. It's easily the best synth I've ever owned (there haven't been many) in terms of raw sound / keybed though I do still like my MODX. I'm no expert by any means, but thought...

Hydrasynth Explorer and Deluxe

Hydrasynth Explorer Ashun Sound Machines has revealed two new Hydrasynths the Explorer and Deluxe. The first is a low-price, simplified interface mini-keys performer with poly-AT, the second a top of the range dual-timbre 16 voice monster. For me it makes me more minded to get a Desktop, simply in terms of space and more controls...

Ondes Musicales is the August free instrument from Spitfire Labs

Ondes Musicales The latest, completely free instrument from Spitfire Audio's Labs series is Ondes Musicales. It's: Created in collaboration with professional ondist and composer Josh Semans, these otherworldly sounds have been sourced from a stunning custom-built ondes musicales — a rare, expressive electronic instrument, famously used in sci-fi scores, iconic indie records and countless classical...